Blood Of The Black Dragon
by Purestdemon
Summary: A story I have been writing on and off, and wanted to see what would happen if I posted it. Began with a DnD campaign, and I decided to just keep writing. Anyway, its about three companions who set out to try to save their kingdom from Disaster.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Introduction

Slice. Slice. Slice. Bundle. Throw. Another bundle of wheat ready for market. Wilco Risend readied his scythe for the next swing. Sweat dripped from his chin. The sun beat down hard on his pale skin. His hair blow in the wind, as gold as the sea of grain around him. He had been there for hours, and he still had acres to go. He wiped his face off, and took a deep breath. He looked at the sun, which was now hugging the horizon. In the distance were the tall walls of Assen. What he wouldn't give for a drink right now.

"Hey! Wilco!" came a voice behind him. Wilco turned and saw Sam, the owner of the farm, coming towards him. They met half way. "Good load today. You look exhausted, why not head out early today and get the wheat to the storage before the sun is completely done, "said Sam, patting Wilco on the back. Wilco nodded his thanks, and grabbed onto the wagon, pulling himself onto the seat. "See you tomorrow Sam. I should be able to get the rest of the field done tomorrow." Sam laughed. "Don't push yourself too hard, boy. Here, a drink on me tonight," Sam tossed Wilco a gold coin. Wilco caught it between his fingers, and pocketed it. "Thanks Sam. See you tomorrow," and with a flick of the reins, he was off.

The Wagon rolled slowly down the paved road leading to Assen. Wilco occasionally made sure the bag beside him didn't fall off, as it contained most of his possessions. All around him the farmers were closing up for the night, getting their equipment stocked in safe places, and getting their loads on the wagons.

He passed through the massive south gate of Assen, and rode into the market district. Shops were already closing up. The sun was almost down. "Another long day finally," Wilco muttered under his breath. A Snap. A sound growing louder. Sound of fire. A voice. "DUCK!" Head to lap. A small fire ball flies over head, and bounces off a stone wall, and puffs into a small pocket of smoke. "DAMN IT SIVIR!" Wilco yelled with a laugh, turning to face the man, dressed in red robes, running towards him. "Sorry. I was just trying to entertain, and I saw you, and the ball just slipped from my hand," said Luke, laughing as well. Luke was one of the rare people who possessed magical abilities. The gift could not have been given to a worse person. While practicing his art, Luke quickly got the nickname of Sivir (Sorcerer igniting valuable items repeatedly). Although he tries his best to help others with his gift, the outcome is generally more painful than it is helpful.

"Excellent news Luke! Sam gave me a bit of my pay early, so how about grabbing a drink with me tonight?" offered Wilco, as Luke made it to the wagon, and held out a hand.

"Sure thing Buddy, I made a fair bit today actually," he said, taking Wilco's hand and climbing up. "A trade caravan came through today, so the entertainment business was good." He paused. "I would have more...if I hadn't set that barrel of oil on fire..." Luke coughed, " On a side note, did you know ignited oil is very hard to put out?" They both laughed as their rode on to the storage building.

The guard greeted them at the gate. "Ah, coming in early today Wilco?" "Yes sir, Sam decided to have mercy on my poor soul," said Wilco, giving the guard a thumbs up. He responded with a laugh. "Well, you know the way. Storage room 14, just as always." With a wave, Luke and Wilco moved on. "Oh, and no 'helping' me today Luke. Sam doesn't like hearing his grain somehow managed to set itself on fire," said Wilco, punching Luke in the shoulder.

An hour later Wilco waved the guard farewell as they began to head back to Sam's Farm. They intended to go to the Bleeding Keg tavern, one of their favourite taverns. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Wilco saw the familiar white robes of a comrade. He nudged Luke, and quietly headed him the reins. He carefully jumped off the cart, and slowly moved closer to his victim. He silently moves his hand back, and brought his fingers together.

Yell for surprise factor. Swing. Blocked. Backhand from the left. Duck. Leg sweep. Missed. Look up. Target gone. Sound of movement behind. Roll. Axe kick barely misses. Get up, face opponent, guard up. Pause. Monoch pulled back his hood. "Once again you underestimate how aware I am of my surroundings," said the monk with a smirk, and stood more relaxed. Wilco laughed. "One day I'll land a blow on you, monk boy," he gave Monoch a tap on the shoulder, and put an arm around him, the fatigue of today finally catching up with him. With a sigh, Monoch helped Wilco back to the cart. Luke helped him up, and they all rode on the wagon back to Sam's farm. After returning wagon and horse safely to the barn, Wilco threw his bag over his shoulder, and the three walked back to town.

The Bleeding Keg. One of the many taverns in Assen. Good food, Good company, strong drink. Wilco, Luke, and Monoch entered the tavern, and were greeted loudly by a few of the locals. "Behold my friends, for Sam has shown be mercy!" cried Wilco as he held up the gold coin. "Baa, only man Ol' Sam ever gets along with is you. He's a miserable old goat to the rest of us," yelled one of them, sending the room into a roar of laughter.

The three took a seat at the bar. The Bartender walked over to them. "The usual boys?" They nodded. A glass of strong rice wine for Monoch, a strong scotch on ice for Wilco, and a tall foamy beer for Luke. They spent a while chatting about the events the day brought. Wilco ordered a Stout of ale, and turned to the door. _He should be here soon._

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, and the door opened, and the proud dwarf Kiland walked in, his red hair and beard hung over his shoulders. With a good whip, Wilco threw the Stout. Kiland grabbed it out of the air, and drank it without a second thought. "Nice to see ya too Wilco," he grumbled slightly, and walked over to him. Wilco pulled up a chair, and patted it. "Hope its not too high for you Kiland," he said. Luke laughed. Kiland shook his head.

The Dwarf took a seat. Monoch leaned forward. "What is wrong Dwarf? You are not usually this serious." Kiland nodded. "I've been hearin' some unsettlin' rumours 'round lately. I don't want to get into any details here, but I would like to meet with all three of ya tomorrow. Can that happen?" They looked at each other. Wilco nodded, "I'm sure Sam won't mind too much if I'm a bit late as long as I get the work done." "Good, I'll see ya at the center of town tomorrow." And having said that, he downed his drink, and left.

Luke and Wilco looked at each other, puzzled at Kiland's odd behaviour. Monoch simply did what he always did, observed the situation, and pondered a logical guess. After a moment, they continued they night with drink and chat.

Monoch was the first to break the party. He sat up from his chair, and slid it back to its normal place. "I must return to the monastery. Farewell to you both. May St. Cuthbert protect you." He bowed, and left. Luke yawned. "Well, I guess we might as well head to bed too." "Ya, I suppose so," said Wilco, and looked over at the bartender. He tossed them both the key to their room. They headed up the stairs.

With a wave, Luke walked into room 15. Wilco returned the farewell, and opened the door to room 17. The room was small. A bed in the left corner, a window behind it, a small table on the right, a smaller table beside his bed with a bowl of water on it and a rug from the door to between them. Tired, Wilco dropped his bag on the table. His sheathed sword slid out onto the table, along with some of his rations and water flask. He walked over to the bowl and kneeled. He cupped the water in his hands, and splashed his face. He tilted his head back, eyes closed, letting the cool drops slide down his face and neck, breathing deeply. A moment later he took the towel from his bed, and gently patted his face. When he removed the towel, it was black with wet dirt. He put it down beside the bowl, rolled into bed and let the shadows around his sight swallow him into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Recruitment

The morning came soon. The sun light gently tickled Wilco's eyelids. He opened them, only to feel the burning of his retinas as the intense rays entered the gates. He sat up, and rubbed them. "Pelor you can be a real devil sometimes," he muttered towards the deity of the sun. He threw his legs over the bedside, and dragged himself to his feet. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and concentrated for a moment. He imaged the energy his body stored for him during sleep in his chest. He opened it and let it flow through him. He opened his eyes, and was ready to start the day.

Walking over to his bag, he put everything back into it, and threw it over his shoulder. He left his room, locked it, and headed down the hall to the stairs. Luke and Monoch were already at the table eating when he arrived. A plate of cooked eggs and bacon waited for him. He jumped over the railing and sprinted to the table. He threw his bag beside him and quickly devoured the food.

After the meal, they headed to the center of town, just as Kiland had asked them too the night before. The center of town connected the four gates of Assen. As they approached it, to their surprise, the Flag of Glor raised over the heads of the Royal Guard. Coming close, they could see the entire garrison of Assen was standing in the town center. The sun glimmered off their silver armour. They could hear the speech of the general as they made their way towards their destination. "...So we leave Assen behind. Your kingdom has greater need of you. You will serve the King with unquestionable moral and unbreakable will. For the Kingdom of Glor!" The Soldiers cheered. With a gesture of the Generals hand, the soldiers turned, and began marching out of the city.

As the army marched, a man approached the general. He looked upset, and it was clear he was arguing with the General. Wilco, not being able to resist, moved closer to listen. They could now hear the other man. "... I beg you to reconsider this Sir. You know Assen is near the borders. The Orcs have been unstable for weeks. It's only a matter of time before they decide Assen is weak enough to take. We need every man we can in order to hold this city when that happens. The trade of this city is too beneficial to the kingdom to be lost." "Hold your tongue Captain Issac Ward, or I'll cut it out," replied the General in a rough, growling voice. "We have orders from the King himself to leave this place. Your city matters not to the king. As for the orcs, what do I care if this city is taken. I don't intend to waste men on a city of trade. Trade can be created everywhere. Your city is...expendable." He spat at Issacs feet, mounted his horse, and followed the marching army.

"And that," said Kiland, who appeared behind them, "is exactly what I was afraid of." He bowed his head down, looking saddened. All of them were silent. Many thoughts ran through Wilco's head. _This city will be lost? What will happen to us? What should we do? Do we..._

His thoughts were interrupted as Issac walked up to them. He was very red in the face. "God, I HATE this military sometimes." He stomped the ground hard. Kiland patted him on the back. "Calm down Issac. There's no need to get so upset about this."

"NOTHING TO BE UPSET ABOUT! The King himself is ABANDONING his kingdom. He has been pulling soldiers out of every town and city, pulling them all to Barken. He is leaving everyone to fend for themselves. We are alone. We don't have a military force to hold off large attacks. We barely have enough military members to get rid of the bandits in the forest, or the wolves in the hills..."

Kiland interrupted him. "Issac. This town is full of strong men, with lots of potential. Look in front of ya for explain," Issac looked up, and his eyes met Wilco, Luke and Monoch. "These boys have seen their share of combat already. Monoch Strifer is one of the St. Cuthbert monks. Wilco Risend is a farmers hand on Sam's farm. Luke Monia is an entertainer. A Sorcerer." Issac looked at Luke with surprise. "A...sorcerer?" a new hope filled his eyes. "Yes sir I am," said Luke, and processed to prove it by conjure up a small ball of fire. It took only seconds for the ball to explode, throwing Luke several feet back, and engulfing his robes in flames. He screamed and rolled around, attempting to kill the flames. "DAMN IT SIVIR!" yelled Wilco, running over to help.

Issac's hope filled eyes drained quickly back into depression. "Alright, Luke hasn't quite gotten used to his gifts yet, but he is as good a fighter as the rest," kiland tried to assure Issac. "All I'm getting at is, have a recruitment. Get the militia building filled up. Get the military training going. Build an army for this town, from this town." Issac looked over at Wilco and Monoch, who were still attempting to put out Luke. He sighed. "I suppose your right...Alright, I'll go and get the word spread..." He walked off, head still hung low. " Oh," he stopped, and muttered over his shoulder, "Those three are recruited." All three looked up in surprise.

Kiland laughed loudly and walked over to them, stomped out the last flame on Luke's robes, and shook each of their hands. "Congratulations boys! Congratulations. Your part of the military now." Kiland himself was part of the town militia. Rank? Sergeant. "I have had me eye on yo' guys for a while now. You three will make excellent soldiers." He was almost too excited for this occasion, as if this had been a plan in the working for years now.

"Kiland. Why are you congratulating us? Why are we in the military? What just HAPPENED!" questioned Wilco, rather annoyed with the confusion. Monoch did not seem to have much of a change of attitude. Luke was cheerful as usual, if not slightly burnt.

Kiland explained the situation. He had known for some time now that the King had been acting strangely. He had heard many rumours that the orc tribes have been acting more organised than usual. He also said that he had seen them all grow up since they were young. They were born fighters. "Each one of you has a destiny to fulfill. I know it sounds strange, but you three need to do this. You NEED to be here. No matter what." Kilands eyes grew dark with mystery. "Now, off with you. Training starts in the morning. You will be at the militia build at sun rise. I will be waiting." He turned to leave. " I will also be your teacher." And with that, he was off with a spring in his step.

All three stood there quietly. Wilco looked dumbfounded. Luke patted him on the back. "Come on Wilco, it's not so bad. If anything does happen, we at least to fight for our city. Our home. And if not, we get some easy pay for simply swinging a weapon around."

These words sparked a new thought inside Wilco. "Of course! I will finally get to do what I want!" he said, and put his fist forward in a determined pose. "I will learn to master the sword. Kiland will help me get one step closer to that goal." Luke stood beside him, and mimicked his pose. "That's the spirit! And I'll learn to finally control my magic and become the most amazing sorcerer in the world!" Monoch continued to stand there, arms crossed. "I suppose being able to have some fresh opponents to spar may prove useful," his voice was monotone. "Then it's decided," said Luke," We will join the military and all grow stronger in body and mind!" He punched the air. Wilco smiled, and did the same," We will learn to protect our home!" Monoch, after a moment, put his fist in the air as well. "And we will make our deity's proud to have us as their servants."

This was their promise. This was their Oath. This was their new Brotherhood between each other. They didn't realise it then, but their bond as friends would grow stronger with every day.

Slice. Slice. Slice. Bundle. Throw. This was the last bundle for the night. Maybe forever. The sun was setting. Wilco guided the horse pulling the wagon into Sam's barn. There wasn't enough to make the last load worth taking back to town. He patted the horse on the nose as he put him in for the night. "See you one day soon. Be nice to the next guy that comes in here, ok?" Wilco walked out of the barn, and closed the door behind him.

He walked onto that paved road once again. Monoch and Luke stood there, waiting for him. They quietly marched back to town. No one said a word. They knew their lives would change from here, though no one would admit it. Tonight they would sleep peaceful. No one knew what tomorrow would bring, but they were ready for what would be thrown at them. No matter what.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Preparation

Wilco, Luke, and Monoch stood outside of the militia building of Assen. It was large. Two stories high, full of different rooms for training and learning. Behind it was an archery range, sparring arenas, and many other things. They stepped into the building. The first room was big and open. The walls were covered in weapons. The melee weapon training room. Kiland was already standing in the middle of the room. He greeted them. "Over here you three." They walked over, and stood in front of him. "Alright. From here on out, you will be training under me. You will do as I say. You will no question me. Punishment will be placed were it should. Your rewards is the knowledge you gain. Now, having said that, let's see just how good each of you are." He gestured to the stairs behind him, leading downstairs.

When they reached the staircase, they had entered a room similar to the one above them. The there were rakes of weapons everywhere. However, these weapons were all made of wood. "Alright, take a weapon of your choice, and I will take the same. One on one spars with me, each of you." He looked at them all. "Luke. You're up first."

Luke gulped. He walked over to the weapon rake, and looked over the weapons. Finally, he decided on a spear. He turned back to Kiland, who also had a spear in hand. "Good choice. It is your kind of weapon." He put his spear beside him, and bowed to Luke. "We are comrades, even during spars. Therefore, we bow to show our respect to each other," explained Kiland, " so it's only polite that you bow back." Luke hastily bowed back.

"Alright. We begin. Get into your stance, and prepare yourself. I will be attacking you." Luke looked a little awkward, but put his spear in front of himself, with one foot back, and one forward. "Good. now.." Kiland paused, and brought his spear down beside him, point behind him, both hands on it, " Prepare yourself!" He jumped forward, with surprising speed for a dwarf.

Despite how hard Luke tried, he took several hard hits to the arms and leg. Luke tried hard to stand up after every blow, but after particularly hard hit to the right leg, he fell. Kiland stopped attacking instantly, and walked over to him. "You have a lot to improve on," he said, as he lifted him to his feet, but added," .. on the bright side, you can only get better right?" Luke replied with a weak smile, and limped slowly to the stairs to sit down.

"Monoch, your next," said Kiland, and gestured him to the weapon rake. Monoch, having trained in the Martial arts, said "My body is my weapon," and stepped forward.

Kiland nodded. "So the monk is going to use his fists for this uh?" he replaced his spear a wooden sword from the rake, and faced Monoch. "Alright, then your going to be hopefully learning to dodge." They bowed. Monoch put one step back, left hand in front of him, right hand relaxed beside him. "Prepare yourself monk. I don't intend to hold back on this." Luke whimpered a little at those words.

Kiland dove forward with a quick thrust, which Monoch quickly sidestepped. He dodged attack after attack, watching Kiland very closely, as he was taught to do. Kiland swung hard from the right. Monoch dodged on it, and suddenly felt a fist in his side. "Your blind spots are open," commented Kiland, as Monoch quickly jumped back. Kiland took a running start at him, who in turn braced himself. Unexpectedly, Kiland threw the weapon at Monoch. Out of surprise, Monoch instinctively deflected it. Before he could even look back, Kiland threw himself forward and tackled Monoch to the ground. Kiland shook his head at him, and got up. "You have trouble with your blind spots. We will need to work on those," he extended a hand to Monoch, who pushed it away, looking rather annoyed. He got up quickly, brushed himself off, and walked over to the wall beside Luke. Leaned against it, hood down, contemplating the fight.

Wilco walked up, already a two-handed sword in hand. Kiland picked up his weapon, and put it back into the rakes. "Alright Wilco, let's see how you fare." He grabbed a similar sword to Wilco's and took his place. They bowed, and brought up their swords.

Simultaneously they charged each other, weapons for guard, ready to strike. Clash. They pushed hard at each other, trying to gain the advantage of balance. Wilco sidestepped and pulled the weapon upward, attempting to knock Kiland off balance. Kiland countered with a hard elbow to the ribs. With a loud gasp, Wilco held his gut, gasping for air. Kiland turned and horizontally swung. Wilco tossed himself to the left, rolling under it. With the momentum built, Kiland spun around, and brought the sword down on Wilco, who barely managed to roll out of the way. He got up, still very much out of breath. He took a downwards strike at the dwarf, who brought the sword up to block, the hoofed him in the stomach. Wilco collapsed from the second knock to the stomach. Kiland pulled back his weapon, and extended a hand to Wilco. "You need to learn to dodge more, and read your enemies body movement." He helped Wilco over to the stairs beside Luke.

Kiland walked to the center of the room, and looked at them all. They could hear the door upstairs open and many feet walking across the floor. "Excellent, the more new recruits are here. You three will be spending the next few weeks here with the rest of the recruits. You all have much raw potential. Its my job to help you mould that potential into an art of combat mastery." A few men came down the stairs, and looked at the four, curious as to who they were. "You will train with each other, as well as these men," Kiland continued, "You will learn from your mistakes. Because in real combat, there is no mistakes. Your journey begins today." He gave them all a glance, then headed back up the stairs.


End file.
